Community grant funding has paid for the installation of two rain garden planters, that will help to benefit the environment in Holmebrook Valley Park.
The Don Catchment Rivers Trust (DCRT), with support from the Friends of Holmebrook Valley Park, was awarded £5,254.20 from Chesterfield Borough Council’s Community Grants Fund scheme, to create the rain garden planters, otherwise known as Sustainable Urban Drainage (SuDS) units that have been installed at Holmebrook Valley Country Park on the Pavilion.
The planters were installed by DCRT, Chesterfield Borough Council, volunteers and the manufacturers BioScapes, earlier this year.
The units take rainfall from the roof of the pavilion which waters the plants and is then temporarily held back in a storage tank before slowly being released back into the drain. This helps to slow flows to the drainage network and our rivers during storms which together with other measures can help to reduce the risk of flooding and pollution spills into our rivers.
A variety of wildlife habitats are also incorporated into the planters including there being a bee hotel, hoverfly home, plants for pollinators, butterfly hotel, hedgehog house, a deadwood zone, an amphibian refuge and an invertebrate hotel.
Councillor Martin Stone, councillor for climate change, planning and environment, said: “There was a great deal of interest and positive feedback during the installation of the planters. The Don Catchment Rivers Trust, Transition Chesterfield, the council’s Climate Change Forum and Chesterfield Borough Council are working together to install more planters on other community buildings in Chesterfield and hope to inspire others to take action too.
“This is a great use of community grant funding as it will make a positive difference to the local environment by providing wildlife habitats and slowing the flow of rainwater into our drains and sewers.”
Debbie Coldwell, Natural Flood Management Officer at Don Catchment Rivers Trust said: “This project was an exciting opportunity for us to build on ongoing works that help to capture and slow flood flows in and around Chesterfield. The planters compliment other features we’ve created in the park that hold back rainfall and create valuable habitats for wildlife.
“Recent visits have seen the planters buzzing with a variety of insects and it’s been very satisfying watching the water diverting into the planters from the roof during the few downpours we’ve had since they were installed.
“The application process was straightforward, and the grants team have been wonderfully supportive throughout. We were thrilled to be awarded the funding and are working with the council and Transition Chesterfield to expand the project to other buildings across Chesterfield.”
Chesterfield Borough Council invited community groups and voluntary organisations from across Chesterfield to apply for support from its Community Grants Fund.
The Community Grants Fund aims to support local projects that help to build resilient, healthy, and safe neighbourhoods, as well as initiatives which will help reduce the borough’s impact on the climate and wider environment by promoting greener choices.
Funding could also be used by community projects to develop volunteering opportunities, help people prepare to get in to work, and to support organisations to expand their reach into different areas of the borough.
The Community Grants Fund is now closed, but eligible groups can apply for funding again from September 2025. Find out more here.
